About this project

$41,593

pledged of $35,000 goal

274

backers

The Balyolu Kickstarter video is now in Turkish! Check it out here:

Be sure to check back in every week as we will be regularly uploading our very
cool posters, earrings, and unique media features in the UPDATES tab. We know that 30 days
goes by fast, so we want to make the most of every minute on
Kickstarter.

What Balyolu Does:

We are organizing the first honey tasting walking journey of
its kind. This journey is a seven-day trip in Northeastern Turkey that
is led and inspired by local women who are training to become
world class beekeepers and rural entrepreneurs.

The Twitter version? We're making adventure sweet.

Why $35,000?:

We appreciate every contribution because it helps us cover the basic costs of: 1) the trips, 2) providing our community with the supplies to properly host guests (we are
actually purchasing new yurts for the villages), 3) purchasing clean organic beekeeping equipment, 4) buying marketing materials, 5) conducting business, hospitality, and honey trainings. Our projected budget is actually more than double
our kickstarter campaign, but it would be covered entirely if we could
book all 4 trips with 12 people each. We are not a charity, but a new startup business looking to use the revenue from our tourism program to fully fund our social business. After the completion of our four
trips (with 10-12 travelers on each), we have calculated that we will
have directly affected 100 people in our local community, paying each one
over $350 USD in supplies, training, and income. Thank you for all of your support!

More About Our Budget:

Our operating budget is 94,000 USD for our four pilots and initial
program for 2012. In order to cover our budget, we plan to book 40-48 travelers, for
$2,000/person over four tours, and supplement extra charges through
small sponsorships and selling honey inspired products through the
program. Our hope is to be entirely self-sustaining through our honey
tours, and we want to use Kickstarter as a way to prove that our idea
and model works.

Yes, we may not sell all of our tours in the beginning. But we can still
get by on 2 tours of 10-12 people each. We will end up having to scale
back our program and budget, but we are eager to do everything we can to
make our trips possible for this summer.

We're
sure you have many more specific questions about our trips, so we've listed some of our
FAQs here. If your question isn't answered down below, visit balyolu.com or send us an email!

OUR ANSWERS:

1. Sure, I like honey, but what is the big deal? Why would I want to go on a tour dedicated just to honey tasting?

We're glad you asked. Did you know that bees work in the most
beautiful places on earth? Honey is so much more than a food. It is
experiencing life as a nature nomad, moving with the tastes and smells
of blooming flowers and nectar. It's true, not everyone is
as excited about honey as we are. Our trips also include nature guiding, exposure to village life, scenic walks, traditional cuisine, tours through ancient cities, and a new perspective on life in one of Turkey's most beautiful frontiers.

2. Who are the people coming on these trips? Can you tell me more about the guides?

Absolutely. These first trips are our pilots. That means they are our
very first adventures. For this reason, in terms of our trip guests, we are looking for experienced,
open-minded, explorer-preneurs who are excited about being on the ground
floor of the first journey of this kind. We are also inviting leading
honey experts on the trips, such as Marina Marchese and Grace Pundyk who
will be providing honey tasting workshops training our local villagers
and you. We are in the process of interviewing local guides and choosing
our favorites. Once we make our final decision, we will upload bios here and let you know. In the meantime, you can learn more about our full
Balyolu team here: http://balyolu.com/page/team/. We also want to plug Grace and Mariana, because we deeply admire their work and what they have done for the sector.

3. What are the dates?

Anatolia Steppes June 9 – June 16

Summer Tundra June 30 – July 7

Mountain Meadows July 26 – August 2

(NOTE, ORIGINAL 4th TRIP IN MAY CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER FORECASTS).

4. Which is the best trip to go on?

All of our trips will be unique because of different seasons, weather,
and flower conditions. We will travel nearly the same route featuring
the same villages and sites. Expect more flowers but cooler weather in
late spring (beautiful conditions for the photographer), more activity
with bees during the middle trips, and dryer but more dramatic
conditions during our final tour.

5. Can you tell me what the trip includes?

The trip is all inclusive from Kars: guides, transportation,
accommodations, honey, food, lectures, organization, translation,
walking route navigation, music, and more. We do not include in the cost of transportation from your respective city, country, or island. We are a
small start-up organization and there are many overhead costs and
complications associated with booking each person's individual travel. We focus our resources and efforts on our local
villages, honey, and your experience in the Northeast region. We will consult and assist each of you in
booking of your trips so that the dates line-up well with our tours, and you get the experience that best suits your itinerary and interests!

6. So how do I get to Kars?

Believe it or not, the journey to Kars alone is one of the best
adventures Turkey has to offer. You can easily take a quick 1.5 hour
flight from Istanbul direct to Kars, or from Ankara direct to Kars and
arrive in the local airport, only a half hour from the start of our trips.
However there is also the Eastern Anatolian Express, a train ride that truly is one of the most
historic and authentic travel experiences in Turkey. The train travels
from Istanbul across Turkey over beautifully crafted bridges and through
long mountain tunnels with its last stop in Kars. The train is
approximately 40 hours including a dining car, bedroom suits, and
comfortable pillows. We highly recommend it for the traveler with a
flexible travel schedule, and we will happily work with you to make your arrangements in advance.

7. What travel agency are you using and will the trips be properly insured?

We are still finalizing our travel agency selection (it is narrowed down
to three groups!). They will help us with insuring the trips and making
sure everything we do is fair and legal. We will add the name in the
updates section of this campaign as soon as we sign our formal
agreement!

8. How much will we walk per day? Do I need to be in great shape?

The walking is optional, but it's a major part of the trip! If you don't like
to walk, this may not be the best time to join our excursions. On average, our
guests will walk 6-10 miles a day. You will carry your very basic gear,
such as a warmer layer and water. We will supply additional snacks and
transport your gear from one village to the next.

9. What will accommodations be like?

For the portions of the trip in the cities (the start and the finish),
you will stay in four star hotels in the Kars city center. For the other
nights of the trip, we will be experimenting with home-stays, yurt
stays, and cabin stays. We want to hear which you like the best, and
based on your experiences build the trip to include your vision, ideas,
and opinions.

10. I am vegetarian and I have food allergies, can I still come?We will try our very best to accommodate everyone's dietary needs,
however all of our food is grown and sourced locally, so expect to eat
what is seasonal. The local diet consists mainly of bread, many
varieties of cheese and honey, tomatoes, some fish, yogurt, beans,
cakes, pastries, pasta, potatoes, goose, wild greens, and herbs
picked from the land.

11. My family would love this! I have been wanting to take my kids to do something like this for a long time. Can they come?

One of our top priorities is opening this trip for families as
an active vacation option and a unique cultural experience. However because these will
be our very first trips, we request that you consider purchasing
vouchers for future travel when we streamline the experience to be fun
and interactive for children (we are hoping to do this in either 2013 or
2014!).

12. What are the toilets like?In some cases, the toilets are western style, in others, they are
eastern. But regardless, we are investing some of our funds towards
ensuring that they are clean and comfortable.

13. I want to book a tour that covers all of Turkey, why don't you include any of the big cities like Istanbul, or Ankara?

We focus on hyper-local travel experiences that positively impact our rural
communities, so it doesn't make sense for us to lead tours in Istanbul
or Ankara. We can help you book tours throughout Turkey with several of
our favorite companies and operators for no additional charge. We can
also recommend the Bee Safari - a bee tour in Turkey that zips across
many regions and focuses on bee genetics: http://www.beesfordevelopment.org/how-to-help/safaris.

14. Why are you offering trip vouchers? Will they really be redeemable?

We understand that you may not be able to come on our first trips and we
want to reward our fans who believe in us and are helping us get
started. Vouchers will be redeemable for five years as long as tours are
continuing.

15. What if you can't meet your Kickstarter goal? Then what? Are the trips still on?

As long as we get 40-48 participants (10-12 people per trip) on our four
pilot tours, the trips are on! You can book them directly through us or
on Kickstarter. Let's reach this goal together.
Find a friend to come with you on the trip and book two tickets (and
get a discount!). Tell people about your exciting adventure and help us
get support.

16. I am allergic to bees! Can I still come?

Be honest with yourself about what you can handle. We do work with bees,
and the region is full of them. The Caucasian bee, our local species, is
very mellow, and many beekeepers do not wear gear when working with them. However we cannot guarantee that you will remain sting-free and you need to come prepared with your own prescribed epi-pen and medicine.

17. What will be the language of the trip?

We speak Turkish and English and will work with translators and guides
so you can communicate with local villagers and the community. We also
love charades.

18. Should I be concerned about my security traveling in that part of the world?

While we would be sad, we will refund half of the costs in the form of a
voucher for a future trip (as long as the trips continue to run).

20. OK! I am sold I want to learn more about honey tasting, you, the program, everything! What do I do next?

Book your travel here on the site and contact us! We are excited for your energy and contributions!

21. Oh! One more thing, how do I pronounce your company name and what does it mean?

Balyolu (pronounced "Ball-yole-ew") means "the road of honey." It is a
play on "Ipek Yolu" which means "the Silk Road" in Turkish. 22. Wait, OK, the last thing really. I am intrigued, what is your big vision? Where is this project going?

We're so glad you asked, the big picture is our favorite part. We
know that travel experiences are inextricably linked to their
surrounding communities and ecosystems. That's why Balyolu has teamed up
with the best local experts, artisans, and entrepreneurs in the region
to create a truly sweet experience for both the tourists and the
locals. In addition to leading honey tasting tours, Balyolu is working
across the Northeast region to train local women and their communities
in environmental business, and we're using sustainable hyper-local
tourism to fund their work. We envision a moving marketplace of
experiences - recreating the Silk Road journey of connecting cultures
and goods, while providing specialized environmental livelihoods for
women and their villages.

FAQ

Have a question?
If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,100 or more
About $2,100

CONGRATULATIONS! You are coming with us to Turkey as one of our first participants on a 7-day honey tasting walking adventure. We are so excited to have you join us and to share these memorable first trips with you. Write us a message so we can get started booking your travel plans! balyolu@gmail.com.